Haven’t sent your friend a virtual Facebook gift in a while? You’re not alone, a new study reports.
Researcher Global Web Index compared Facebook usage in July 2009 to June 2011 and found that several Facebook activities, like virtual gifting, are on the decline. Such gifting fell 12.9% in the U.S. and 7.5% worldwide over that period.
Other activities that seem to be falling out of favor include messaging to friends (down 14.8% in the U.S. and 7.4% worldwide), joining a group (12.8%, 6.5%), searching for new contacts (12.7%, 4.5%), installing an app (10.4%, 3.1%) and instant messaging (7.5%, 1.5%). Those activities are not only falling faster in the U.S. than elsewhere, but are declining even more among under-30 college-educated users in the U.S. The report found only one significant increase in Facebook activity: uploading videos, which was up 5% in the U.S. and 7.6% worldwide.
A Facebook rep dismisses the study. “In general, I would say that we do see from time to time, stories about Facebook losing engagement in one region or another. Often, these conclusions are incorrect, either because of the limited nature of the studies or because of seasonal factors (such as the fact that less people are using the Internet in the summer),” she says. “Facebook is very pleased with growth overall and with the way people are engaged with the site.”
Another researcher, eMarketer, which cited Global Web Index’s report, predicts the number of Facebook users in the U.S. will rise 13.4% this year, after 38.6% growth in 2010 and a 90.3% rise in 2009. EMarketer sees Twitter having a similar plateau: Adoption of the service rose 293.1% in 2009, but will only grow 26.3% this year. The primary growth for Facebook and Twitter is coming from the so-called BRIC nations — Brazil, Russia, India and China — plus Indonesia, eMarketer reports.
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Posted on Mon, 22 Aug 2011 15:37:46 +0000 at http://feeds.mashable.com/~r/Mashable/~3/GUZcT2V4w-w/
Comments: http://mashable.com/2011/08/22/facebook-activity-plateau/#comments
Researcher Global Web Index compared Facebook usage in July 2009 to June 2011 and found that several Facebook activities, like virtual gifting, are on the decline. Such gifting fell 12.9% in the U.S. and 7.5% worldwide over that period.
Other activities that seem to be falling out of favor include messaging to friends (down 14.8% in the U.S. and 7.4% worldwide), joining a group (12.8%, 6.5%), searching for new contacts (12.7%, 4.5%), installing an app (10.4%, 3.1%) and instant messaging (7.5%, 1.5%). Those activities are not only falling faster in the U.S. than elsewhere, but are declining even more among under-30 college-educated users in the U.S. The report found only one significant increase in Facebook activity: uploading videos, which was up 5% in the U.S. and 7.6% worldwide.
A Facebook rep dismisses the study. “In general, I would say that we do see from time to time, stories about Facebook losing engagement in one region or another. Often, these conclusions are incorrect, either because of the limited nature of the studies or because of seasonal factors (such as the fact that less people are using the Internet in the summer),” she says. “Facebook is very pleased with growth overall and with the way people are engaged with the site.”
Another researcher, eMarketer, which cited Global Web Index’s report, predicts the number of Facebook users in the U.S. will rise 13.4% this year, after 38.6% growth in 2010 and a 90.3% rise in 2009. EMarketer sees Twitter having a similar plateau: Adoption of the service rose 293.1% in 2009, but will only grow 26.3% this year. The primary growth for Facebook and Twitter is coming from the so-called BRIC nations — Brazil, Russia, India and China — plus Indonesia, eMarketer reports.
More About: emarketer, facebook, twitterFor more Social Media coverage:Follow Mashable Social Media on TwitterBecome a Fan on FacebookSubscribe to the Social Media channelDownload our free apps for Android, Mac, iPhone and iPad
Posted on Mon, 22 Aug 2011 15:37:46 +0000 at http://feeds.mashable.com/~r/Mashable/~3/GUZcT2V4w-w/
Comments: http://mashable.com/2011/08/22/facebook-activity-plateau/#comments
